1.  In a speech at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest homosexual rights group, President Obama vowed complete support for their agenda.

McClatchy Newspapers reported that Obama will work for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act; to expand federal "hate crime" laws; to allow homosexuals to openly serve in the military; and to prohibit discrimination in employment regarding homosexuals.

Obama predicted that the Hate Crimes Bill would soon be passed.  This legislation would federalize certain crimes if the motivations of these crimes were based on the sexual orientation of the victim.

"This bill is set to pass and I will sign it into law," the President said. 

Obama also won loud applause from the HRC when he said, "I will end don't ask, don't tell. That's my commitment to you."

Joe Solmonese, president of the HRC, was ecstatic.  "We have never had a stronger ally in the White House-never," he said.

To fulfill Obama's promise, the Associated Press reported that Tom Perez, the new assistant attorney general in charge of the Civil Rights Division, said that  the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) would embark on a new mission to "fight for fairness and basic equality for our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender brothers and sisters."

He said this would be a major shift from the division's work during the Bush Administration.

Allison Herwitt, legislative director for HRC, said Perez's new approach was "fantastic."

But Carrie Gordon Earll, senior director of Focus on the Family Action, objected to the DOJ's plan to promote homosexuality.

"The rights of people of faith who adhere to a Biblical view of sexuality should not be crushed under the Obama Administration's political promises to homosexual activists," she said.

2.  An attempt by the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) to have a case dismissed in federal court challenging California's Proposition 8, the state marriage amendment, appears to have backfired.

The Associated Press reported that, not only did U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn Walker not throw out the case, he signaled that he would probably rule in favor of striking down the state constitutional amendment that has been approved by a vote of the people.

Walker asked the lawyer for ADF, Charles Cooper, to explain how allowing homosexual couples to get married would threaten conventional marriages.  Cooper seemed flustered and replied that he did not know.

The judge also stated that he wanted to know if sexual orientation is an immutable characteristic; whether homosexuals are a politically powerful group; and if state constitutional amendments to protect marriage are motivated by a bias against homosexuals.

Of course, all of these matters are completely irrelevant to the question as to whether the citizens of California have the right under the U.S. Constitution to amend their state constitution to reserve marriage to a man and a woman.

Andy Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage.com, which led the campaign for Proposition 8, said that homosexuals, after losing the referendum, are trying to suppress the views of the people.

"What really is happening is the voters who passed Proposition 8 are essentially on trial in this case," he said.